Deja Boooooo
After nearly five months of waiting for meaningful baseball games, the Yankees’ 2016 season started in familiar fashion with a loss to the Astros and Dallas Keuchel at Yankee Stadium, the same way the 2015 campaign ended.

The good news is that they managed to score against Keuchel, who entered the game with a 1.12 regular-season career ERA against the Yankees — the third-lowest by any pitcher in the last 100 seasons (min. three starts) — and riding a 28-inning scoreless streak versus the team. The bad news is that the end result was the same: another frustrating loss to open the season.

For the fifth year in a row and the seventh time in eight tries, the Yankees dropped game No. 1 on the schedule, matching the franchise record for most consecutive losses in season openers. The mark was set nearly eight decades ago, when they lost five straight Opening Day games from 1934-38.

Still, there were some notable highlights midst the carnage. Starlin Castro and Didi Gregorius made history when they took the field as the first Yankee middle infield duo to start on Opening Day at age 26 or younger since Willie Randolph and Bucky Dent in 1978.

Castro then doubled in the first two Yankee runs of the season, becoming the first Yankee second baseman with a multi-RBI game on Opening Day since Alfonso Soriano in 2003 (Robinson who?). Gregorius completed the scoring with an eighth-inning homer. The only other shortstops in franchise history to homer on Opening Day were Derek Jeter (three times) and Bucky Dent (1981).

This is the first time in the last 100 seasons of Yankee baseball that both of the team’s middle infielders each had an extra base hit and an RBI in a season opener.

Sweet Sixteen
The temps were still chilly on Wednesday night but the Yankee bats heated up as they crushed the Astros, 16-6, in the middle game of this series.

Castro stole the show for the second straight day, delivering four hits while driving in five runs. The only other Yankees with at least four hits and five RBI in a game this early into the season were Bill Dickey (1934), Yogi Berra (1956) and Tino Martinez (1997).

His seven RBI in the first two games are the most by any Yankee in his first two contests with the team, and matched the franchise record for most RBI in the team’s first two games of the season. The three other guys to do that each have a plaque in Monument Park: Babe Ruth (1932), Berra and Martinez.

Mark Teixeira chipped in another two hits and four RBI, giving the team a rare offensive explosion from the right side of the infield. The last time the Yankees had their first baseman and second baseman each record at least two hits and drive in four or more runs in the same game was July 7, 1935. A couple Hall of Famers, Lou Gehrig and Tony Lazzeri, combined for six hits and 11 RBI against the Senators.

The other dugout featured a young slugging phenom, too, as 21-year-old Astros shortstop Carlos Correa went 4-for-5 with two homers in the losing effort. Correa became the youngest player with four-plus hits, including at least two homers, in a game against the Yankees over the last 100 years.

Eight is enough
The Yankees took the opening series of the season after beating Houston, 8-5, in the rubber game on Thursday.

The offense has stolen the headlines in the first week of the season. This is now the seventh time the Yankees have scored at least 27 runs in the first three games combined. They won the AL pennant in five of the six previous seasons it happened, and the World Series three times.

The team’s seven homers are tied for the fourth-most through three games in franchise history, while their .962 OPS is the second-best by a Yankee team in the Wild Card Era this early into the season.

The pitching, on the other hand, has been less than good (mild understatement, yes!). They’ve allowed at least five runs in each of the first three games, making their 2-1 start even more impressive. The last time the Yankees gave up five-plus runs in three straight games to begin the season — yet still emerged with a winning record — was 1962.

Teixeira had the biggest hit of the game, a tie-breaking three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning that gave the Yankees a 8-5 lead. It was his 396th career home run, tying Joe Carter for 57th place on the all-time MLB list, and it was his 193rd with the Yankees, passing Tino Martinez for 17th on the Yankees leaderboard.

Castro, too, continued his scorching-hot start with another multi-hit game and a homer. His 1.250 slugging percentage and 1.833 OPS are both the best marks by any Yankee middle infielder with at least 10 plate appearances in the team’s first three games.

I guess it’s fitting the Yankees will begin the 2016 season the same way the 2015 season ended: at Yankee Stadium against the Astros. The Yankees and Astros are playing on Opening Day for the second time in three seasons — they also finished the 2013 season against each other — even though they are not AL East rivals. Kinda weird. Blame the computer that generates the schedule. Anyway, let’s get to the first series preview of the new season, one day later than originally scheduled.

What Did They Do Last Year?

The ‘Stros went 86-76 with a +111 run differential in 2015, good enough to earn the second wildcard spot. As you know, they shut the Yankees out 3-0 in the wildcard game. Houston was actually in first place for most of the season before coughing it up the AL West lead late to the Rangers. Manager A.J. Hinch’s squad limped to the finish with an 11-16 record in September. Also, they went 53-28 at home and 33-48 on the road.

Offense & Defense

Overall, the Astros ranked sixth in baseball with 729 runs scored last year. They were second with 230 homers and fourth with a team 105 wRC+. Houston added no one to their lineup this past offseason. Not one notable position player addition. They will have a full season of OF Carlos Gomez, who came over at the trade deadline last year.

The Astros are currently without DH Evan Gattis (hernia) and backup catcher C Max Stassi (wrist), both of whom recently had surgery. They’re both on the disabled list, so we won’t see either guy this series. Since the season is just starting, here is each player’s 2015 performance and 2016 ZiPS projection. There’s nothing else to look at right now:

2015 Performance

2016 ZiPS

C Jason Castro

.211/.283/.365 (76 wRC+), 11 HR, 0 SB

.231/.303/.389 (89 wRC+), 12 HR, 1 SB

1B Tyler White

.328/.443/.509 (163 wRC+) at AA/AAA

.251/.336/.381 (99 wRC+), 10 HR, 0 SB

2B Jose Altuve

.313/.353/.459 (120 wRC+), 15 HR, 38 SB

.309/.346/.432 (112 wRC+), 11 HR, 40 SB

SS Carlos Correa

.279/.345/.512 (133 wRC+), 22 HR, 14 SB

.273/.340/.492 (126 wRC+), 25 HR, 23 SB

3B Luis Valbuena

.224/.310/.438 (105 wRC+), 25 HR, 1 SB

.238/.330/.425 (107 wRC+), 18 HR, 1 SB

LF Colby Rasmus

.238/.314/.475 (115 wRC+), 25 HR, 2 SB

.244/.316/.461 (111 wRC+), 21 HR, 3 SB

CF Carlos Gomez

.255/.314/.409 (96 wRC+), 12 HR, 17 SB

.259/.317/.433 (105 wRC+), 17 HR, 23 SB

RF George Springer

.276/.367/.459 (129 wRC+), 16 HR, 16 SB

.248/.341/.459 (120 wRC+), 23 HR, 17 SB

DH Preston Tucker

.243/.297/.437 (100 wRC+), 13 HR, 0 SB

.246/.299/.414 (94 wRC+), 19 HR, 2 SB

BENCH

C Erik Kratz

.192/.214/.269 (28 wRC+), 0 HR, 0 SB

.228/.283/.394 (87 wRC+), 7 HR, 0 SB

IF Marwin Gonzalez

.279/.317/.442 (108 wRC+), 12 HR, 4 SB

.257/.295/.385 (85 wRC+), 8 HR, 4 SB

IF Matt Duffy

.294/.366/.484 (127 wRC+) at AAA

.242/.297/.388 (87 wRC+), 16 HR, 2 SB

OF Jake Marisnick

.236/.281/.383 (80 wRC+), 9 HR, 24 SB

.244/.292/.380 (82 wRC+), 11 HR, 24 SB

That’s too many numbers for Monday morning. Sorry. Duffy — that’s not the Giants’ Matt Duffy, it’s a different Matt Duffy — is going to play against lefties, either for Valbuena at third or Tucker at DH. Actually, Tucker probably isn’t married to that DH spot. Hinch will probably rotate players in and out at DH while Gattis is on the DL.

Altuve, Springer, Correa, Rasmus, and Gomez occupy the top five spots in the lineup, usually in that order. The 6-9 spots are a bit more up in the air. The Astros have a pretty strong lineup. They are very strikeout prone; this largely unchanged lineup had a 22.9% strikeout rate last year, second highest in baseball. Altuve, who is an extreme contact hitter, is the only regular ZiPS projects to strike out at a rate lower than the league average. They hit homers and they strike out. That’s what they do.

Defensively, the Astros are very good in the outfield but surprisingly questionable on the infield. Sean Dolinar at FanGraphs put together some really cool defensive visualizations recently, so here’s the ‘Stros:

Blue is good, red is bad. The numbers are the projected runs the player at that position is expected to save (or cost) the team this season. Pretty cool, no? The eye test tells me Altuve is better than the numbers, for what it’s worth. I have a hard time buying him as a below-average gloveman. Either way, don’t hit it to Gomez. He’s incredible in center. Hit it to someone else.

Keuchel, 28, is not going to blow hitters away. He sits right around 90 mph with his trademark sinker and a notch below that with his cutter. Sliders and changeups right around 80 mph are his two secondary pitches. Keuchel throws strikes with all four pitches, and like I said before the wildcard game last year, the best way to attack him may be swinging early in the count. (That’s worth doing a little more this season overall.) He’s not someone who will beat himself by falling behind in the count. The Yankees aren’t going to wait him out. Keuchel dominated the Yankees last season, but last season is last season. It means nothing now.

Wednesday (7pm ET): RHP Michael Pineda (vs. HOU) vs. RHP Collin McHugh (vs. NYY)
The Astros grabbed the 28-year-old McHugh off waivers from the Rockies during the 2013-14 offseason, and he’s since turned into a very good rotation piece. He had a 3.89 ERA (3.58 FIP) in 203.2 innings a year ago, with strikeout (19.9%) and grounder (45.4%) rates that were about average. His walk (6.2%) and homer (0.84 HR/9) rates were good though. McHugh had a reverse split for the first time last summer and he didn’t add a pitch or change his pitch selection, so I’m inclined to believe it’s a one-year blip for now. He’s not a guy with a big fastball — McHugh averages 90 mph with his four-seamer and 87 mph with his cutter, which he throws a lot — but he keeps hitters off balance with a slow and loopy low-70s curveball. A while back Crawfish Boxes put together a cool look at how McHugh uses high fastballs and curveballs together:

The high heater and curveball look the same out of McHugh’s hand and come in on the same plane until the curve falls of the table. That’s the ol’ Ben Sheets approach and it can be really effective. That’s why hitters will look silly on 90 mph fastballs and loopy curves. The pitches look the same for so damn long.

Thursday (4pm ET): RHP Nathan Eovaldi (vs. HOU) vs. RHP Mike Fiers (vs. NYY)
Last year the Astros picked up Fiers from the Brewers as part of the Gomez deal. Fiers, 30, had a 3.69 ERA (4.03 FIP) in 180.1 total innings in 2015, including a 3.32 ERA (4.39 FIP) in 62.1 innings for Houston. He threw a no-hitter with the Astros as well. Overall, Fiers had a good strikeout rate (23.7%) and an okay walk rate (8.4%) last year, but he’s generally fly ball (37.6%) and home run (1.20 HR/9) prone. Like McHugh, he had a reverse split last season that was out of line with the rest of his career. We’ll see if it sticks going forward. Fiers is a three-pitch pitcher who throws five pitches. Let me explain. His main pitches are a four-seamer right around 90 mph, a low-80s changeup, and a low-70s curveball. He throws those pitches a combined 90% of the time or so. Fiers will also mix in a handful of mid-80s cutters and low-80s sliders per start. (I wonder if the cutter and slider are actually one pitch with a wide range of velocities.) Enough that hitters have to be aware of them. Generally speaking, fly ball prone righties and Yankee Stadium do not mix.

Bullpen Status

The Astros made only two notable additions this offseason. They signed veteran RHP Doug Fister, who won’t start this series, and they traded a huge prospect package to the Phillies for RHP Ken Giles. Giles is one of the best relievers in all of baseball. He’s not at the Dellin Betances/Andrew Miller level, but he’s not far off.

Hinch announced yesterday RHP Luke Gregerson, not Giles, will be his closer this season. That’s probably a smart move. Maybe suprising, but smart. Here is the club’s bullpen with their 2015 performance and 2016 ZiPS:

2015 Performance

2016 ZiPS

RHP Luke Gregerson

3.10 ERA (2.86 FIP), 24.7 K%, 4.2 BB%

3.36 ERA (3.34 FIP), 23.4 K%, 5.7 BB%

RHP Ken Giles

1.80 ERA (2.13 FIP), 29.2 K%, 8.4 BB%

2.75 ERA (2.70 FIP), 29.0 K%, 8.3 BB%

RHP Pat Neshek

3.62 ERA (3.94 FIP), 22..9 K%, 5.4 BB%

3.38 ERA (3.25 FIP), 24.8 K%, 4.6 BB%

LHP Tony Sipp

1.99 ERA (2.93 FIP), 28.7 K%, 6.9 BB%

2.96 ERA (3.02 FIP), 30.8 K%, 7.6 BB%

RHP Will Harris

1.90 ERA (3.66 FIP), 24.6 K%, 8.0 BB%

3.41 ERA (3.77 FIP), 24.5 K%, 7.9 BB%

RHP Josh Fields

3.55 ERA (2.19 FIP), 32.1 K%, 9.1 BB%

3.52 ERA (3.19 FIP), 28.1 K%, 9.2 BB%

RHP Michael Feliz

2.17 ERA (3.11 FIP) at AA

5.17 ERA (4.84 FIP), 17.8 K%, 9.1 BB%

The Astros have a very strikeout heavy bullpen. Gregerson also has a history of getting a lot of ground balls, though last season’s 60.4% ground ball was easily a career best. He gets a lot of grounders, but usually not that many.

The addition of Giles pushes Neshek and Sipp into middle innings roles regardless of whether he closes or sets up. Sipp added a splitter two years ago and is now much more than a lefty specialist. From top to bottom, this is a really good staff. There’s a reason the Astros allowed the fewest runs in the AL (618) last season. Giles (and Fister too, I guess) will only help that.

The new season is upon us. Opening Day is Monday, which means it’s time to wrap up our annual Season Preview series. As always, we’ll end the series with a quick look around the league. Some of this is serious, most of it isn’t. Enjoy.

Arizona DiamondbacksWhy They’ll Suck: The middle infield is a mess and their corner outfield defense is going to be pretty bad if Yasmany Tomas plays left everyday. Also, they’ll probably trade some good players to unload a bad contract again.Bold Prediction: Shelby Miller actually pitches well. I have no idea why so many analysts think he’s bad.

Atlanta BravesWhy They’ll Suck: Because they are trying to suck. Rebuilding is just a nice way of saying tanking.Bold Prediction: Nick Markakis beats his ZiPS projection and slugs .370.

Chicago CubsWhy They’ll Suck: They’re going to strike out way too much. It’s also only a matter of time until someone gets bit by some wild animal Joe Maddon brings into the clubhouse.Bold Prediction: Adam Warren is their best starter. Boom!

Chicago White SoxWhy They’ll Suck: They lost their leader, Drake LaRoche.Bold Prediction: We find out Adam LaRoche was the one who complained about Drake LaRoche being in the clubhouse all the time.

Cincinnati RedsWhy They’ll Suck: Their rotation is Homer Bailey, Anthony DeSclafani, Michael Lorenzen, Jon Moscot, and John Lamb. No, wait, that’s the list of their injured starters. Now they have to turn to the B-team.Bold Prediction: Joey Votto finally loses his mind, but in a polite, Canadian way. He’s already doing this between pitches:

Colorado RockiesWhy They’ll Suck: The Rockies exist in a perpetual state of suck. Fun Fact: They have never once won a division title. They’ve finished as high as second place only three times in their 23 years of existence.Bold Prediction: They finally trade Carlos Gonzalez. I’m thinking … Orioles.

Detroit TigersWhy They’ll Suck: They’ve punted defense at the four corner positions and, inevitably, the relievers they acquired this winter will stink.Bold Prediction: Justin Verlander bounces back and finished in the top five of the Cy Young voting.

Houston AstrosWhy They’ll Suck: Karma for doing very little in the offseason outside of adding a new closer and fifth starter. The rebuild is supposed to be over.Bold Prediction: Carlos Correa is more Alex Gonzalez than Alex Rodriguez.

Los Angeles AngelsWhy They’ll Suck: The Angels have surrounded Mike Trout with as little position player talent as possible in an effort to make him look even greater by comparison.Bold Prediction: Jered Weaver’s fastball hits 84 mph once or twice.

Los Angeles DodgersWhy They’ll Suck: The Dodgers have surrounded Clayton Kershaw with as little pitching talent as possible in an effort to make him look even greater by comparison.Bold Prediction: It becomes clear Yasiel Puig peaked early.

Miami MarlinsWhy They’ll Suck: The fans and players are doomed to pay for Jeffrey Loria’s evil villian-ness. Fun Fact: They’ve never won a division title either. They’ve also never lost a postseason series.Bold Prediction: Christian Yelich breaks out and puts up Andrew McCutchen numbers. I’m serious about that one.

Milwaukee BrewersWhy They’ll Suck: They’re another team that is going to suck on purpose. Before long they’re going to trade Jonathan Lucroy too.Bold Prediction: Ramon Flores hits 15 dingers with a .350 OBP.

Minnesota TwinsWhy They’ll Suck: I don’t know, but I’m sure Twins fans will blame it on Joe Mauer.Bold Prediction: Miguel Sano plays right field better than Torii Hunter did last year.

New York MetsWhy They’ll Suck: They’re still the Mets. Case in point: the recent Matt Harvey bladder story. Last year’s pennant didn’t change anything in that regard.Bold Prediction: They have to trade for a starting pitcher at the deadline.

Oakland AthleticsWhy They’ll Suck: No joke, I can name only one A’s starter (Sonny Gray) and one A’s infielder (Marcus Semien). Is Bobby Crosby still playing?Bold Prediction: Josh Reddick gets traded for a holy crap package at the trade deadline. I’m thinking … Royals.

Philadelphia PhilliesWhy They’ll Suck: Still reeling from the 2009 World Series, obviously.Bold Prediction: Someone not named Maikel Franco or Ryan Howard hits a home run.

St. Louis CardinalsWhy They’ll Suck: The Cardinals will never suck. The only thing they suck at is sucking. Their ace made four starts and their highest paid position player hit four home runs last season, and they still won 100 games. The Cardinals, man.Bold Prediction: Three years after learning to play second base and one year after learning to hit for power, Matt Carpenter picks up pitching and saves 46 games.

San Diego PadresWhy They’ll Suck: I’m not entirely convinced the Padres exist at this point. Are we sure MLB still lets them into the league? What an amazingly nondescript franchise.Bold Prediction: Someone throws the first no-hitter in franchise history. I’ll go with Colin Rea, who is a real player and definitely not someone I just made up.

San Francisco GiantsWhy They’ll Suck: They buy into the “even year trend” a little too much and give Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner weeks off at a time this summer.Bold Prediction: Bumgarner out-slugs the starting outfield.

Seattle MarinersWhy They’ll Suck: I don’t know how it will happen exactly, but they’ll suck. The Mariners are the Wile E. Coyote of MLB. Every time they looked poised for success, they crash into the mountain with a tunnel painted on the side of it.Bold Prediction: Bob Cano mashes 30 taters and finishes in the top three of the MVP voting. I’m expecting a big year from Robbie.

Texas RangersWhy They’ll Suck: They won’t suck. They’ll be just good enough to get thisclose to winning something meaningful before having it ripped away again. Think Game Six of the 2011 World Series, or the seventh inning of Game Five of last year’s ALDS. That’s how the Rangers roll.Bold Prediction: Josh Hamilton leads the team in home runs.

Washington NationalsWhy They’ll Suck: They’re the NL version of the Red Sox. They have talent and everyone buys the hype. It should work! But it doesn’t.

As part of their efforts to land a young controllable starting pitcher, the Yankees asked the Astros for right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. in trade talks involving Andrew Miller earlier this offseason, reports Jon Heyman. Houston shot that down entirely and instead traded other players to the Phillies for Ken Giles a few weeks later.

McCullers, 22, had a 3.22 ERA (3.26 FIP) in 22 starts and 125.2 innings for the Astros last season, his MLB debut. His father Lance Sr. played for the Yankees from 1989-90. Lance Jr. had a very good strikeout rate (24.8%) due in part to all the curveballs he throws (35.8%). He does he lacks a reliable changeup though. McCullers is very promising but is also a work in progress.

During the Winter Meetings it was reported the Yankees sought righty Vincent Velasquez from the Astros in a Miller trade. Seems like the Yankees asked for McCullers first because hey, why not? When the Astros said no, they moved on to Velasquez. The 23-year-old Velasquez was included in the Giles trade a few weeks ago, as was former No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel, Houston’s other notable young hurler.

For what it’s worth, Jeff Passan recently reported the Yankees were “very, very close” to trading Miller to the Astros a few weeks ago. Both Heyman and Nick Cafardo now say it’s unlikely Miller will be moved at all. As an elite reliever signed to an affordable contract, Miller has a ton of trade value, and there’s no reason for the Yankees to rush into a deal. I wouldn’t rule it out completely though.

The final day of the 2015 Winter Meetings is upon us, thankfully. I’m really for them to be over. The Rule 5 Draft will take place at 10am ET this morning and the Yankees will lose outfielder Jake Cave, in all likelihood. Maybe some others. There are some rumblings New York will make a pick of their own. They do have two open 40-man roster spots.

Here are Monday’s, Tuesday’s, and Wednesday’s open threads. Thursday is typically the slowest day of the Winter Meetings — most folks head home after the Rule 5 Draft — but I’m sure there will still be plenty of news and rumors out of Nashville. We’ll keep track of the day’s Yankees-related rumors right here. All time stamps are ET.

10:00am: Following yesterday’s trade, Brian Cashman told reporters he’s not done making moves yet. “I’m also not done. I’ve got a lot of other conversations in play and we’ll see where that takes me,” said the GM. I mean, duh. It’s December 10th. Of course he’s not done. [Peter Caldera]

10:00am: The Yankees are among the teams to check in on Rafael Soriano. Soriano, 35, threw 5.2 ineffective innings for the Cubs this year and was released at midseason. At this point of his career, Soriano’s a non-roster invite guy, not someone you guarantee a roster spot. [Jon Heyman]

10:00am: The Yankees have their eyes on Astros lefty Reymin Guduan, Astros righty Chris Devenski, and Cardinals righty Luis Perdomo in the Rule 5 Draft. Guduan is a lock to be selected today because he’s a southpaw who throws 100 mph on the regular. [George King]

10:26am: The Dodgers have moved on from Aroldis Chapman, understandably so, and they’re now “weighing” a run at Andrew Miller. With Ken Giles traded and Chapman persona non grata, Miller is by far the best available reliever on the market. [Jon Heyman]

10:31am: The Twins were one of the other teams after Justin Wilson prior to yesterday’s trade. If they’re looking a lefty reliever, the Yankees still have plenty to offer. [LaVelle Neal]

12:18pm: Cashman said he considers the bullpen and the roster in general “incomplete.” I’d say. “I’m intending to do more,” he added. [Bryan Hoch, Brendan Kuty]

12:45pm: The Astros worked “extensively” on an Andrew Miller trade with the Yankees before turning to Giles. They gave up a pretty nice package of players for Giles. The Yankees really seem to be asking a ton for Miller. [Buster Olney]

2:45pm: Talks between the Yankees and Dodgers about Andrew Miller have “no legs.” The Yankees continue to see a good young starter in return and Los Angeles doesn’t have one of those to offer. [Jon Heyman]

After a long day with few rumors, the Yankees swung a trade last night, sending Adam Warren and a player to be named later (Brendan Ryan) to the Cubs for Starlin Castro. It didn’t come out of nowhere like so many other Yankees’ deals, but it did come together pretty quick. It went from rumor to trade within an hour or so. The on-the-fly rebuild continues.

“It isn’t part of our DNA to accept that full-blown commitment to a rebuild,” said Brian Cashman to Bryan Hoch. “Ownership’s comfort level is walking that tightrope, rather than tearing it down and living to fight another day. The public stated goal is to get younger and compete for the championship every year. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Here are Monday’s and Tuesday’s open threads. Once again, we’ll keep track of all the day’s Yankees-related hot stove rumors from the Winter Meetings right here in this post. All time stamps are ET.

10:30am: “Hopefully I can do some things to add to our depth,” said Cashman, specifically about the pitching staff. He did not rule out free agents but did acknowledge trades are more likely. “I’ve been busiest on the trade front … If it’s old and expensive, we did not check on that.” [Erik Boland, Marly Rivera, Mark Feinsand]

10:30am: Tyler Flowers, who was connected to the Yankees earlier this week, signed a two-year deal with the Braves yesterday. Cashman also confirmed they did check in with Ben Zobrist earlier this week, though his first choice was the Cubs. [Bob Nightengale, Ken Davidoff]

10:30am: The Yankees have shown an interest in Astros righty Vincent Velasquez. Houston has interest inAndrew Miller and Velasquez could be part of the package. However, there’s some thought the Yankees would flip Velasquez to the Marlins for Marcell Ozuna. [George King]

10:30am: Several teams have called about Justin Wilson, including the Tigers. Hey, if Miller is available, there’s no reason Wilson shouldn’t be as well. Whether the Yankees are comfortable trading both end game lefties is another matter. [George King]

10:42am: Brett Gardner remains available but nothing is close at the moment. Nothing’s changed after the Castro pickup. [Jon Heyman]

12:47pm: The Yankees are talking to the Dodgers and Astros about Andrew Miller. Houston’s been on Miller for a while now, and the Dodgers lost out on Aroldis Chapman earlier this week. In terms of performance plus contract, Miller is by frickin’ far the best available reliever right now. [Bob Nightengale]

2:17pm: The Yankees did circle back and ask the D’Backs if they still had interest in Andrew Miller following their recent Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller pickups. Arizona seems to be in a very generous mood, so why not ask? They had interest in Miller earlier this offseason. [Joel Sherman]

5:21pm: As expected, Cashman confirmed Justin Wilson is indeed available. “If we are willing to discuss Andrew Miller, we are willing to discuss Justin Wilson,” he said. [Marly Rivera]

5:46pm: The Yankees are still getting a ton of hits on Brett Gardner and Andrew Miller. Cashman continues to say they’re open to anything, but added “it’s more likely than not we’ll have the same dynamic duo” next year, meaning Miller and Dellin Betances. [Bryan Hoch, Erik Boland]

5:48pm: Cashman admitted the Yankees don’t have a whole lot money to spend this winter. “It’s accurate to say flexibility is limited currently because we’re committed to a lot,” he said. So annoying. [Pete Caldera]

5:50pm: The Yankees do expect to lose someone in the Rule 5 Draft tomorrow. Jake Cave’s a safe bet. Apparently they’re also considering taking someone. They do have two open 40-man roster spots. A reliever and/or a spare infielder capable of playing third base are solid bets. [Bryan Hoch]

6:01pm: The team’s interest in Tyler Flowers was limited to a non-roster invite. Flowers’ response to the offer: “Hell no.” So there you go. Cashman said the team wants to “unleash” Gary Sanchez. [BrendanKuty]

6:32pm: There’s a rumor going around that the Yankees have traded Justin Wilson to the Tigers for two prospects, but Cashman shot that down for the time being. “I don’t know what the reports are but I don’t have anything to talk about,” he said. [Brendan Kuty]

6:38pm: The Yankees are “talking seriously” about trading Justin Wilson to the Tigers for two prospects, but nothing is done yet. Sounds like it’s only a matter of time. [Joel Sherman]

Due to limited payroll space and a reluctance to trade top prospects, the Yankees are said to be “shopping everyone” on their big league roster, including Brett Gardner and Andrew Miller. They’re pretty much the only two veterans on the team making decent money with actual trade value. Trading Gardner and/or Miller is the best way to clear salary (WTF?!) and add talent.

Several teams, including the Diamondbacks and Tigers, have already checked in on Miller. We can add the Astros to that list. Jayson Stark reports Houston is “hell-bent” on adding a top closer and have asked about Miller, Aroldis Chapman, Ken Giles, Brad Boxberger, and various free agents. Luke Gregerson did a fine job closing for the Astros last year but I guess they want an upgrade.

Last offseason the Astros aggressively pursued Miller and actually made him the best offer — Ken Rosenthal says they offered him four years and $44M. Miller ultimately took $2M less per year from the Yankees. “Money wasn’t everything. The teams that negotiated with us were fully aware of that as well. In the total package, the Yankees had the best offer for me personally,” he said at the time.

The Craig Kimbrel trade gives us an idea of what an elite reliever with three years of control is worth in a trade, though getting four prospects — well, three prospects and a utility guy — for Miller is probably the best case scenario. The Yankees reportedly want controllable pitching in any trade and are said to be seeking three young players for Miller, which is a perfectly reasonable first ask to me.

The Astros have a deep farm system though it is no longer the best in the game due to recent graduations and trades. Here are their top 30 prospects per MLB.com. It’s hard to not see righty Mark Appel as a possible centerpiece. Appel was the first overall pick in the 2013 draft, but he is more pedigree than results (4.87 ERA and 4.06 FIP in 294 career minor league innings!) at this point. After all, he was expected to be in the big leagues by now.

While asking for a former first overall pick in return for a reliever sounds silly, Appel’s stock is down and he’s not an elite prospect. MLB.com has him as the 43rd best prospect in baseball. The Padres received the No. 25 and 76 prospects for Kimbrel. Who knows. Maybe Appel plus some secondary stuff for Miller works for both sides. Just thinking out loud here. That’s the sort of package the Yankees should be seeking.

Anyway, the Yankees have a lot of leverage in Miller trade talks because the only other available reliever who matches his effectiveness and favorable contract situation is Giles. Chapman and Mark Melancon will be free agents next winter and the best reliever in free agency is Darren O’Day, who is three years older than Miller. If the Yankees can get multiple young players they really like, great. If not, they’ll keep one of the game’s best relievers and his affordable contract.